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carinaa_khl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Rape and Kidnapping
Minor: Homophobia, Slavery, Death of parent, and Alcohol
rsb12's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Blood, Murder, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Infertility, Death of parent, and Alcohol
sipnayan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Outing, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Cursing, Vomit, and Trafficking
disneyfreak627's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
tinysierra's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed the moments that Lei founds strength in love and friendship.
In spite of only getting a little glimpse of Lei’s family in the herb shop at the beginning, their bond and the coziness of Lei’s home came across well.
I liked the cultures that the author set up. The world-building was fascinating. Not every character feels the same way about the situation as our main character does, so it makes them feel all the more realistic.
The romance was cute!
Sex work and same sex couples are stigmatized by some characters in the book.
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Murder, and Colonisation
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia, Rape, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
hollandjacobs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
With that out of the way, I really enjoyed this book. It’s a poor girl being forced into a royal court but never loving it. So many books have girls quickly swooning over dresses and pastries. Not Lei. The world is really interesting, the characters complex, the stakes high - it’s a pretty intense book. It didn’t have a super strong chosen one troupe, really just a girl fighting for her own autonomy. Abuse is rampant, but never fetishized. Really I just feel like the author held the balance of all these complex issues really well, it was well written, and I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of the series!
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Homophobia, Vomit, and Lesbophobia
morganraine's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
sweetchocolatez's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Alcohol and War
kassidyreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Misogyny, Sexual content, Slavery, and Death of parent
Minor: Genocide, Homophobia, and Alcohol